Two relatively inexpensive tests can show your doctor if there is a way to enhance the results of any mental health treatment. The tests may help your doctor identify two commonly overlooked contributors to depression: inflammation and nutrient deficiencies.

The Brain Is an Organ–Just Like Any Other

The brain is an organ, just like the heart, liver, lungs or kidneys. We just never look at it that way. If your heart is unhealthy, for example, you may have shortness of breath, chest pain, unusual fatigue, swelling of the ankles, or other symptoms. Similarly, if the brain is unhealthy, you may have anxiety, depression, memory problems, insomnia or other problems. Simply addressing brain health will improve results of any mental health treatment you may be undergoing. It is not really treating depression; it is improving the infrastructure of the nervous system and can very likely improve mental health.

What Two Tests Can Lead to Improvement of Mood?

C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is an inexpensive blood test that provides a general measure of inflammation in the body. Research shows a strong link between inflammation and depression [1-10]. There are tests for other chemicals involved with inflammation, but they are much more expensive. CRP is an inexpensive way to screen.

Homocysteine: This is another inflammatory marker. It is inexpensive to test for, and high levels often suggest that you need more vitamin B6, folate, or vitamin B12. All three nutrients have been studied for their role in depression. Studies have shown that people with high homocysteine levels are up to twice as likely to experience depression compared with those whose levels are normal [11].

Homocysteine is important for another reason. High levels may also mean your brain is not getting enough usable folate (vitamin B9). When that happens, it becomes more difficult for the brain to produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine [12].

Inflammation Prevents the Production of Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that allow one neuron to communicate with another. Every thought, emotion, and memory involves millions of neurons working together. Without neurotransmitters, that communication would not happen. Most medications used to treat depression and anxiety work by altering the activity or availability of neurotransmitters. Inflammation interferes with the production of the brain’s major neurotransmitters. Taking a drug without addressing inflammation is a lot like bailing out a boat without fixing the hole. [click to learn how inflammation affects (serotonin), (dopamine and norepinephrine), and (GABA).

Good Brain Health Is Good Mental Health

These two tests are just the tip of the iceberg. Correcting inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, hormone problems, insulin resistance, gut health, and other underlying issues improves the brain’s infrastructure, making other mental health therapies more likely to succeed. You can click here to download a free PDF: Natural Healthcare and Mental Health–Looking at Causes, NOT Symptoms

Selected References

  1. Brain Behav Immun. 2014 Jan;35:70-6 The association between depressive symptoms, cognitive function, and inflammation in major depression
  2. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2013 Sep; 38(9): 1573-85 Differential association of somatic and cognitive symptoms of depression and anxiety with inflammation: findings from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA)
  3. Brain Behav Immun. 2015 Jul;47:193-200 Inhibition of tumor necrosis factor improves sleep continuity in patients with treatment resistant depression and high inflammation
  4. Front Immunol. 2019; 10: 1696. The Role of Inflammation in Depression and Fatigue
  5. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2017 Jun;27(6):554-559 Why are depressed patients inflamed? A reflection on 20 years of research on depression, glucocorticoid resistance and inflammation
  6. Brain Behav Immun. 2018 Mar;69:1-8 Effects of obesity on depression: A role for inflammation and the gut microbiota
  7. J Neuroimmunol. 2017 Dec 15;313:92-98 Inflammation-induced depression: Its pathophysiology and therapeutic implications
  8. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2017 Sep;30(5):369-377 Depressed gut? The microbiota-diet-inflammation trialogue in depression
  9. Neurotherapeutics 2018 Jan;15(1):36-59. Anxiety, Depression, and the Microbiome: A Role for Gut Peptides
  10. Int J Mol Sci 2022 Apr 19;23(9):4494 The Gut Microbiome in Depression and Potential Benefit of Prebiotics, Probiotics and Synbiotics: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials and Observational Studies
  11. Psychiatry, 12 May 2026 Sec. Mood Disorders Volume 17 – 2026 Homocysteine and cognitive function in depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis
  12. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2000 Aug;69(2):228–232. Homocysteine, folate, methylation, and monoamine metabolism in depression